Clause 7 - Control powers: supplementary
Export Control Bill
5:00 pm
Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham, Liberal Democrat)
I shall respond first to the point that has been made about Kosovo-type problems--the hon. Member for Salisbury calls them strange and difficult circumstances--when the Government must respond quickly and appropriately to new situations. Liberal Democrats have never argued that there is anything fundamentally wrong with providing military assistance or military hardware in some circumstances, and it may be part of a British aid programme to provide added security in an environment such as Kosovo. That has never been a problem and the amendment does not undermine the purpose of the clause. One purpose of the procedural aspects of the Bill is to provide flexibility with deferred affirmative action procedures and negative action procedures and to enable the Government to move rapidly and to change the licensing regime in response to changing circumstances. The amendment would not prevent the Government from responding quickly to a changed circumstance such as Kosovo, which would have the full support of the House.
The hon. Member for Aldershot was closer to the point. The meat of the matter is the big Government-to-Government contracts. Some Governments --Saudi Arabia is a good example --prefer to deal with the British Government because they view those contracts in a highly politicised way. Money may not be the object and they may want the security of the British Government's backing, so there may be a strong political element in the contract. That is all the more reason for having some safeguard on Crown activities.
In the case of Al Yamamah, there may have been good reasons for licensing the equipment, but circumstances could arise in which a Government Department or a Minister overseeing a particular contract might want to act outside the purpose of the Bill as defined in the schedule. Such circumstances may be hypothetical, but we should be aware that Governments do not always act in a righteous and proper way and there should be safeguards on their behaviour as there are on the private sector. That is the reason for the amendment.
We may wish to return to the matter, but I do not want to delay the Committee and I beg to ask leave to withdraw the amendment.
Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.
Clause 7, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Bill.
Further consideration adjourned.--[Mr. Pearson.]
Adjourned accordingly at nine minutes past Five o'clock till Thursday 18 October at half-past Nine o'clock.